Because Life Should Never Be Ordinary

My Funny Valentine!

2012-02-16T16:50:00.000-08:00

We had a fun Valentines day. Tony and I celebrated the Saturday before with a dinner and dance put on by the church. It was fun and definitely good to have some time together. It's crazy how much time we are apart during the week.
Sunday night we put together valentines for the boys to hand out. I had found some valentines that can be folded into paper airplanes. And then we added these little candy airplanes that I saw on pinterest.

From February 2012

Max had a great valentines party at preschool and the boys were super excited to receive valentines packages from both of their grandparents!
Thank you Grandma Pearl and Grandpa Dan!

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Thank you Grandma Kate and Grandpa J!

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The boys and I made a heart-shaped pizza and ate it picnic style. Then we played valentines bingo. i love spending time with my boys!

From February 2012

Friends and Cars

2012-02-16T16:32:00.000-08:00

Our 4-runner needed a few things done that could only be done in a shop, so I took the car down to be worked on by our trusted mechanic friends. In the meantime, we got to play with our good friends. We checked out the new children's Museum in Tacoma which is much better than the previous one, but parking is a nightmare. Eeesh! Here are some pics of the kids at the musuem.

From February 2012

The kids had a blast playing with old friends and then we ended up staying the night at Stacey's because the car required some parts to dry overnight. It was quite the adventure made possible by some very generous friends and family. Thanks Jennica, Stacey and Jenn!

Hey Reptile!

2012-02-07T16:45:00.000-08:00

Today the Reptile Man came and visited Max's preschool. Before we left for school, Max said he wanted to bring a book about reptiles. He looked in his bookshelf for a specific book that his Aunt Nicole made for him. He was excited to bring it!

From February 2012

I found out today that my Max is that kid who thinks the presenter is just talking to him. Everytime the Reptile Man said something that related to the kids (i.e. "scales are like our fingernails"), you'd hear a little Max say, "I have fingernails". LOL, oh well. Even better were the few times Max tried to get the Reptile Man's attention. He'd say, "Hey Reptile". Oh, he makes me laugh.
Here is the is with the African Snapping Turtle

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The Gila Monster

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The alligator Lucy who could sit up

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And play asleep (rubbing alligators between the eyes causes their blood pressure to drop)

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The rattlesnake

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Lucy petting C

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Holding the snake

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I had this flashback to my first or second grade class that had a pet snake, "Jake the Snake" (of course) and I remember him urinating on me. Bleh, I kept thinking of that the whole time I was holding this snake.

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This was perfectly okay bytheway. Max is surfing on a tortoise who has a shell so strong a car could supposedly run over it. WOW!

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Lucy petting Max

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And Max holding a Chinese Beauty.

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Not only did Max have a fantastic day at school, but he also had joyschool today with his friends. My friend is teaching them about the body. How cute are they?

From February 2012

Enjoying the Sunshine!

2012-02-05T17:17:00.000-08:00

Max and I have been playing outside a bit during the afternoon while Ryan naps. Yesterday the boys got to enjoy a little sunshine with their dad before he left for work.
Max is really good at catching the football when you tell him it's a bomb that will explode if it touches the ground ; )

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Here's Ryan's usual pose in the sunshine.

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The boys and I with some friends enjoyed the Cedar River Trail for the first time this year and I also got to enjoy time with former roommates!

Our Local Firefighters

2012-02-05T16:37:00.000-08:00

We of had a firefighter kind of day this week. On Thursday, I emailed the fire station to request a tour for our joy school group. Then when we went to the library, some firefighters were there for Renton Heart Month. They were giving out stickers and giving free screenings for blood pressure and blood sugar. Later, when we were at home, a firefighter knocked on the door to see if the firefighters could attend our community's local HOA meeting and do the free screenings there. They invited the boys out to see the fire truck. Ryan was too scared to get on it (it was almost his bedtime) but Max got his second tour of a firetruck see here!

From February 2012

Guess What it Is!

2012-01-31T21:27:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has ever spent time around my kids has probably played this game. It started out with Max who would hold something behind his back and ask you to guess what it was. I could make him laugh by guessing dinosaur and things like that. Now Ryan does the same thing only he doesn't have anything in his hands. He just randomly comes up to you and asks you to guess what it is. It usually ends up being the 3rd thing you guess no matter what it is (for example: cherry pie or knobby knees). He is so silly.

Hello Hormones!

2012-01-31T21:23:00.000-08:00

*Sob* *Sob* I'm watching Sound of Music *Sob* *Sob* Easily one of the best movies EVER! *Sob* *Sob*

My Little Reader

2012-01-31T07:59:00.000-08:00

Max has been "reading" for awhile, words, sounds, etc. He's always sounding things out and saying what letter a word starts with. Now he has read a whole book. And the book of the hour is:

From January 2012

I just love that he loves to learn. And Ryan likes to get in the game too. He tells us a word and what it starts with. Only, somehow, everything usually starts with H. :)

A Quote About Testimony

2012-01-30T23:44:00.001-08:00

There is a quote I heard yesterday in church that really resonated in me about the importance of a testimony of the gospel and what a testimony is.

Elder Richard G. Scott has explained “a testimony is not emotion. It is the very essence of character woven from threads born of countless correct decisions. These choices are made with trusting faith in things that are believed and, at least initially, are not seen. A strong testimony gives peace, comfort, and assurance. It generates the conviction that as the teachings of the Savior are consistently obeyed, life will be beautiful, the future will be secure, and there will be capacity to overcome the challenges that cross our path. A testimony grows from understanding truth distilled from prayer and the pondering of scriptural doctrine. It is nurtured by living those truths with faith anchored in the secure confidence that the promised results will be obtained” (“The Transforming Power of Faith and Character,” Ensign, Nov. 2010, 45–46).

Some More Family Fun!

2012-01-30T23:37:00.000-08:00

Tony ping ponged his way in a ping pong tournament at the church on Saturday. We went to cheer him on.
I think he's the best ping pong-er ever.

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I even got to play him and so did the Max. This was after it was over.

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We (the boys and I because Tony worked) went to a game night at the church. Ryan is wearing his new sweatshirt that he got. He loves frogs.

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And here he is sporting it at a bouncy place we went to tonight.

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There's Max coming down the slide.

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And going up another slide.

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Ryan kept going in and out of this bouncy house. He is my cautious one.

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Jumping with friends.

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Good Mom vs. Bad Mom

2012-01-26T20:31:00.000-08:00

All moms go through times where they feel like good moms or bad moms. It's either the day or the time of day or whatever. I've been so exhausted lately from this pregnancy. Yesterday was really bad because I had this killer headache all afternoon/evening that made me feel really miserable and I fell asleep on the couch as Max watched shows and Ryan climbed on me. So that was bad mom day.

Today was much better. We had a play group at the church, went to Petsmart to look at the animals and to Target to get a bit of shopping done. Then we went for an adventure walk this afternoon (I was assessing the felled trees in our community to show the tree guy who will be coming out). Tonight Max worked on a new lego set and Ryan and I did puppets and strung wooden beads. It's nice to have good days like this because I' sooo glad to be feeling better and it helps ease the guilty feelings that were creeping in from yesterday.
Arent' they cute?

From January 2012

Oh, and Max is REALLY good with legos. He just follows the instructions and puts them together all by himself. I'm having a hard time not going out and buying him more lego sets just to help him with this talent. He loves legos so much.

Snowmegeddon--Washington Style Part 2

2012-01-23T23:06:00.000-08:00

So at first the snow was fun. Tony was disappointed when the big dump didn't come like it said it was going to...yet. Well, it started snowing early, early Wednesday morning and didn't stop for hours and hours (I can't remember). We were snowed in but did get to sled with friends which was fun. Then it snowed and we got so much ice. The snow and ice weighed down the power lines and broke so many trees. Many people were without power. In fact people from church were making lots of phone calls, kind of a calling tree to see who was without power and what was needed. We offered our guest room to some friends who were without power on Thursday night. They came over, had dinner, the kids played, we put them to bed and then we played games. Well at about 10 that night our power was out too. We played some more games by lantern light and then went to bed. The next morning Tony bought a propane space heater but we didn't want to spend another night in the cold so we went to Stacey's house. Some people got their power back that day, but we were still out. When we got back on Saturday morning, we had power, a car full of Costco groceries and Tony got busy helping some people saw up some felled trees. It was kind of crazy there for a day, burying our perishable food in the snow, heating water to wash dishes on the stove (thank goodness for a gas stove). It was like we were camping in our own home. So even though there were major setbacks and destruction because of our snow/ice, etc., I thought this picture was a fun, tongue-in-cheek way to laugh about it.
Two Feet of Snow in Seattle

From January 2012

Snowmageddon--Washington Style!

2012-01-18T21:57:00.000-08:00

We had snow on Sunday night and then again last night.
Here is the fun the boys had in the snow on Monday.

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GI Joe snowman.

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Today Max and Tony went sledding with friends while Ryan played a little bit in the snow but stayed warm with mom and friends. It was fun to have a snow day with friends. I'm also so grateful for our 4-runner. It is a great car to have in the snow.

Another Epic Battle!

2012-01-18T21:55:00.000-08:00

We brought out the nerf guns again and this time Grandma was involved in the battle.

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Ryan would throw these monkey bombs.

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And Captain America used his shield to protect him.

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So much fun and it lasted a loong time!

Anniversary Time!

2012-01-17T17:54:00.000-08:00

We really enjoyed spending time together. It is amazing what all you can see and do when you don't have to worry about naps. ; ) We love our boys to pieces but we also haven't had a whole lot of alone time so it was so nice. We didn't go far because we just had one night but we still had fun memories. We went to a few places in Seattle that we'd never been.
Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe. Awesome!

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This is the first totem pole being carved in Seattle in 78 (I think that's right) years.

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At the Seattle Aqariium:
A big octopus

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I love little sea horses.

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This was part of the salmon ladder. These salmon were in part of a tank above our heads. We loved that some were all lined up.

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The underwater dome.

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Sea otters.

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At the gift shop.

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A cool show they do where the scuba diver can talk to the audience and teach us as well.

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We had so much fun together; parking adventures, lunch on the water front, a nice hotel, lots of walking and hand holding. Happy Anniversary!

Christmas Post Script

2012-01-17T13:41:00.000-08:00

I didn't ever take a picture of this window during the Christmas season so before I scraped them off...

Max and I followed the tradition of Grandma Kate who used to paint on the front window. Our efforts were simpler in nature, but we had fun...

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Here's a close up of Max's elves that he drew and painted free hand.

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Let's Hear it for Our Boy!

2012-01-16T13:26:00.000-08:00

Okay, I have some other pictures that need to be posted, but this is the one I'm MOST excited about! Meet Baby Boy Epperson #3! Tony and I seem to be very good at making cute little boys! :)

From January 2012

Tony, Max, Ryan, Grandma Kate and I went to the OB office today. I was hoping that the ultrasound technician didn't live on the top of some steep hill so that they wouldn't come in today because of the snow. So even though the OB office opened late, they opened and the ultrasound tech was there! Everything looks great for our baby boy! We got to see a healthy heartbeat and lots of wiggling around!

Happy Unbirthday to Max!

2012-01-10T20:35:00.000-08:00

Max has a summer birthday. Parents got to sign up to celebrate their kid's summer birthday sometime during the school year. We celebrated Max's on Monday. I tried to get all Martha-y (haha) but my attempts are always far from Martha. Oh well. It was fun anyways. Here are Max's airplane cupcakes. They're flying through the cloudy sky.

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Getting sung to.

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Blowing out the candles.

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Yum Yum

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Happy 7th Anniversary to us!

2012-01-10T20:30:00.000-08:00

Tony was supposed to have worked the weekend of our anniversary but it turned out that he didn't have to. However, we had already made plans to celebrate the next weekend so we went to a birthday party and on a family treasure hunt. Then on Sunday, our actual anniversary, we went to church and relaxed. We got some alone time in there too, but really it was just a fun, family weekend. I get to count my blessings everyday that I have such a wonderful husband. I wouldn't trade him for anything. Just check out how he spent the evening of our anniversary.

From January 2012

What a wonderful man!

Ephiphany!

2012-01-10T20:14:00.000-08:00

In France, they celebrate Epiphany or the day the 3 kings (Magi) came to visit the baby Jesus. They have a Gateau des Rois (King cake). It usually has a little truc (bean or a little toy) baked in. Whoever gets the piece of cake and finds the little toy gets to be king for the day. I just made a simple breakfast cake. I'm sure some year I'll get fancier and use a french recipe but the breakfast cake was good. Ryan found the truc (piece of foil) and...we got to talk with Max several times that day about how it's okay for others to win.

From January 2012

My trusty sidekicks...or am I the Sidekick? :)

2012-01-06T23:46:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when I ask my boys to show me their muscles.

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I love that Max is in his too big pants.
And here is Max as Captain America.

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I'd trust this guy to defend me any day. Maybe he can beat away these pregnancy hormones that make me want to cry for no reason sometimes. Take that! And that!

Reflections as the New Year Begins

2012-01-03T22:52:00.000-08:00

Here are my musings but the 6 posts after are me playing catch up on the last couple of weeks. I got a little sick at the beginning of the New Year and I've just been cleaning up from Christmas and getting back into the routine of things but I've been thinking lately about finding joy in life. There is this talk that I love and it talks about finding joy now. I feel like I'm so lucky to have friends who see the positive things in life; they are kind, supportive, helpful and giving. I've been able to see people who are not so supportive and positive. In fact, they seem entitled for whatever reason and I've just been perplexed. I realized that it doesn't matter how anyone else is or acts, what's important is my reaction. So even if someone else can't see the positive and be happy about what is, I can. I don't need to react to anyone's negativity or become upset by it, so I won't. People have real trials and I don't see the need to be unhappy over little things. There is another talk by Elder Uchtdorf called "Forget Me Not". There is a part that I love where he says, 'The happiest people I know are not those who find their golden ticket; they are those who, while in pursuit of worthy goals, discover and treasure the beauty and sweetness of the everyday moments. They are the ones who, thread by daily thread, weave a tapestry of gratitude and wonder throughout their lives. These are they who are truly happy.". So, I choose to be happy and see the beauty of everyday. There is so much I have to be thankful for.

Birch Bay Part 2

2012-01-03T22:02:00.000-08:00

We explored the historic Fairhaven district of Bellingham.

From January 2012

When I got the times wrong on the opening of the museum after we had just paid for parking, we knew we'd need something to tie the boys over before the museum. We saw this cool place across the way called Rocket Donuts.

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It had fun decor and Tony and Doug split a Monster Donut.

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Then we visited Mindport which is a museum which allows exploration and creativity. The exhibits are handmade and very cool. Ryan spent a lot of time sending balls through different tubes, lol. Water play was also a favorite.

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Here are some other highlights.

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Tony used to eat at Coconut Kenny's when he worked for Horizon and worked at the Bellingham airport so he wanted to take us there. I just snapped a few pics of my silly boys.

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Then Grandma Kate and I took Ryan home for a little siesta while Tony, Doug and Max wen to the Heritage Flight Museum. I won't post EVERY pic :)

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A beautiful sunset across the street from our hotel.

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Exploring Semiahmoo Bay, just a small jaunt north from Birch Bay.

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We walked along this spit of land and loved having water on both sides. I saw a Blue Heron. We were teaching the kids about tides. This is at high tide.

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Lots of fun exploring and jumping.

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The boys found this driftwood sticking up and of course it became an airplane yoke.

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My favorite memory of the morning. I took this pic of Max and then he excitedly came running up to me a bit later and said, "Mom, the ocean was nice to me. I threw this wood in and it washed it and brought it back to me." :)

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We came to the same spot at low tide so the boys could see the difference. First we admired Mt. Baker.

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Then we explored.

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We saw our first live sand dollar!

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Someone had made this awesome driftwood fort which we had to explore.

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And then we saw floating lanterns which people were sending off. It was so cool.

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It inspired us to have yummy New Year's Eve dinner,

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and then watch Tangled! Then we tucked the boys into bed, ate yummy food, played cards, watched TV, watched a homemade fireworks show outside that we thought might take out our hotel building and called out and cheered off the balcony at midnight. It was a fun and relaxing New Year's Eve celebration!

Birch Bay Part 1

2012-01-03T20:58:00.001-08:00

J and Kate booked their time share at Birch Bay, WA so we could enjoy some time away from it all. Unfortunately, because of J's new job, he couldn't be there but his job is a blessing anyway. And Stacey had to work unfortunately, but most of us were able to trek up north for some R&R.
The boys loved exploring the beach.

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4I just love being near the water.

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There was much Wii time had with the older crowd.

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Goofy picture of Tony but this is such a cute picture of Max doing Karaoke on the Wii.

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The Epperson boys looking at an App of the ocean while at the ocean. That was the joke. No, this is a pose...really, they did look at the ocean...I think ; )

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We did an explorer hike. Max is looking at the woodpecker holes with the binoculars. Haha.

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I spotted Baldy, the Eagle!

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And then it became a blustery day on the beach. We did get some exploring done before it got too cold though.

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The next day we explored the little dutch town of Lynden. There were a few windmills, toy shops, and antique shops.

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Check out those wooden shoes.

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A windmill posing as a hotel.

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Ice cream at a chocolate shop. Tony and I had hot chocolate with real Belgian chocolate. Yum!

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Thursday, Tony, Doug and I visited Vancouver. It took us a long time to get into Canada and no time to get out which is not what we were expecting. Here is the Vancouver cityscape.

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It was so calm at Stanley Park.

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Here is, "The Girl in the Wetsuit", a statue in the water. :)

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Gastown. Check out those lights and that clock!

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A cool church.

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An awesome little ice-skating rink where there were little "walkers" for parents to help their kids learn to skate.

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This is just a simple thing, but in France (on my mission) there were Doner Kebab places all over. I've seen places where you can get Gyros here which are similar, but never where they shave the meat off of the rotisserie like I saw in France. Anyways, I got nostalgic when I saw this place and had to take a pic.

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Science World had a cool building.

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And we visited the temple.

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Here is our Canadian loot. I was in heaven seeing everything in French and English. The gummy bears are maple flavored, haha.

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Christmas Day!

2012-01-03T20:38:00.000-08:00

What a special day! I love Christmas being on Sunday so we can go to church on the same day! I woke up early to make sure I was awake and had the tree lit before the kids came out. Doug was the first one awake and opened his stocking. After stockings we got ready for church and I loved listening to the music. The primary kids even sang a song.
Here is a pic of the stockings (see that Doug's is already gone).

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And the tree. We have much to be thankful for.

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Tony and I decided to incorporate a friend's tradition and give 3 gifts just like the 3 wise men. That way the number of gifts is always the same and it's simpler. I don't want Christmas to get out of hand for them. So, we had fun grouping a few things together to make it three gifts and watching the kids open their presents.
But back to the early morning. Max was bleary eyed but happy opening his stocking.

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Ryan didn't pay much attention to his stocking after he got the candy cane off the top.

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Max and Ryan helped Mike and Nicole air down their mattress.

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The family picture right after church.

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After the traditional breakfast of ice cream and strawberries on waffles, we had present time.

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Christmas dinner.

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We had put Ryan down for a nap midway through presents because of the late hour. Here he is unwrapping his kitchen.

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It was a fun, busy day. I can't believe I didn't get a good picture of Max's big present. It was a Captain America mask and a shield. The shield was made by one of Santa's really talented elves (Tony). He had been talking about it forever! Oh and something else about Max. I just love this kid. Everything he opened was, "JUST WHAT I WANTED!". He was ecstatic about the peanuts in his stocking, the orange, EVERYTHING. What an awesome kid. So with all of the fun and joy we had seeing the happiness on each others faces, it was great to remember that all of the giving was because we were taught by our Savior who gave us the greatest gift of all.

The Christmas Eve Marathon

2012-01-03T17:30:00.000-08:00

It was a busy but fun day! Normally we wouldn't do this much in one day, but there were so many things we wanted to do with Grandma and since she didn't come until the evening of the 23rd...well, away we go!
We had a Christmas Eve breakfast with the Buhlson family. They are so fun and generous and they have this huge (wide with the top cut off) Christmas tree! There's even a ventriloquist dummy hiding in the branches, haha.
Nope this picture is not on it's side.

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The kids playing Christmas carols...or something.

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Good times.

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Then we did the girl's baking Night, this time in the afternoon.

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We had help frosting the sugar cookies.

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Max and Stacey dipping oreos.

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We acted out the Nativity and sang carols. I was the narrator/picture taker.

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The boys got to open up Christams Eve pajamas.

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Then we decorated a gingerbread house.

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And we cleaned up the boys and watched, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas".

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Then we had "Nog Night", an Epperson tradition. Nicole and I who married in to the family don't like Egg Nog but it's okay with vanilla ice cream mixed in! :)

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Apparently, that was not one of the good flavors according to Grandpa J.

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The spread of our baking-ness which was way too many goodies of course.

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Our little family's traditional Buche de Noel (yule log). It's a french tradition that I picked up from my mission. Someday I'll get all fancy with decorating it like the Patisseries in France, but for now, it's just yummy goodness that looks like a log.
What a tiring, fun-filled family day!

More Lights!

2012-01-03T17:27:00.000-08:00

We went to Point Defiance Zoo Lights with some of the fam!

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This display made me miss the Beluga Whales they used to have at this zoo.

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I totally loved this tree.

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A Few More Fun Things Before Christmas!

2012-01-03T17:19:00.000-08:00

Tony's brother Mike and his wife Nicole came to Washington to visit. On Mike's birthday, Nicole, the boys and I went and walked around the Seattle temple. Here are the boys at one of the statues.

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And a great view of the temple.

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We did a little Christmas shopping and had a little DQ afterwards.

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While Tony took Mike to XXX Burger which is supposed to have the best rootbeer in these parts. And apparently they have some pretty big hamburgers.

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That night the boys and I went with some friends to the Garden d'Lights at the Botannical Gardens. It was really fun and I was lucky to have such great friends with me because one mom and two boys at a lights display was NOT easy. I definitly appreciated their help.
This display really looked like a little garden!

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I tried to capture the magic with this photo but it didn't quite work. There were strands of light that descended and looked like falling rain.

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This dragon had "smoke" coming out of his mouth.

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There were very few pictures since I felt like I was herding cats, but it was beautiful and I'll be sure to go when Tony can see it (and help) next year! ; )

Christmas Activities with the Family!

2011-12-20T14:40:00.000-08:00

There is a little train at the Renton landing that we rode last Saturday. I was just going to take pictures but then I couldn't resist getting on last minute. The kids loved it even though it was just down the street and back and then around. It was great!

From December 2011

the kids loved this big tree.

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And then we went to see SANTA CLAUS!!!

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Will my kids ever look at the camera?
And then it was off to a cute little cupcake shop for Christmas cupcakes.

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And Tony and I were able to attend a Christmas dinner party with a group of couples and I realized how NICE it is to hang out with friends together. We haven't done that lately with Tony's crazy schedule. It was refreshing!

Max's First School Christmas Concert!

2011-12-20T14:30:00.000-08:00

*Side Note* My husband is awesome and deals with his camera-toting, always picture taking, and camera breaking wife. Unfortunately, we have had 3 cameras in the 7 years that we've been married because *things* happen. This last time, I dropped the camera when we were taking after pictures at the half-marathon. He surprised me with a new, water-proof, shock-proof camera that still takes better pictures than our last! It arrived just in time to take video of Max's first concert. I don't know how to upload the video yet, but...here are a few pics.

I learned that even at a preschool Christmas concert, people can be rude and move in front of video-takers. Also, I swear EVERY parent (husbands AND wives) were videoing. It was crazy.

This first picture didn't turn out because I don't know how to take a photo in the dark yet. Haven't learned the camera and I don't have mad photog skills, but this is a zoomed in group shot. Max is on the bottom.

From December 2011

This is having punch and cookies afterwards.

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Videos to come. They were adorable!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

2011-12-11T19:21:00.001-08:00

Since I love seeing Christmas lights and decorations, I'm going to post ours. They brighten things up so much!
Our front door!

From December 2011

O Christmas Tree!

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I'm posting a few favorite ornaments just for posterity...
This Santa in the airplane was given to us by Tony's coworkers when he was in the hospital after the crash.

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I love snowflakes! These were purchased from a friend's daughter years back for a school fundraiser. I love them.

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A nativity ornament from Stacey's visit to Germany.

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Santa in a kilt. My parents sent this when they were on their mission to Scotland.

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The answer to our lack of a mantle. I finished the sign yesterday.

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This wall hanging was made by Grandma Kate. It's gorgeous!

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A close up of my favorite picture of Mary and Jesus.

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A new place for Christmas cards.

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My collection of nativities from around the world. My favorite!

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The kids' nativity

From December 2011

Max's nutcracker army!

From December 2011

And we listen to a lot of Christmas carols at our house. Tis the Season!

Reindeer Festival

2011-12-11T18:01:00.000-08:00

The Cougar Mountain Zoo isn't very far from our house. We hadn't been because it seemed pricey so we decided to try it out during the Reindeer Festival to see if it was worth the price.
It was a cute zoo with cougars, reindeer, emus, wallabies, a lemur, cranes, 3 tigers and that's about it. We had fun and the zoo was decked out with Christmas decorations.
The cougars are very relaxed even in the cold.

From December 2011

The boys fed the reindeers some apples.

From December 2011

Emus are scary looking birds ; )

From December 2011

Feeding an Alpaca.

From December 2011

Taking a photo op

From December 2011

Storytime with an elf

From December 2011

Face painting

From December 2011

And a picture with Cosmo the Cougar who must have been visiting Issaquah.

From December 2011

So for my friends who were wondering, this was a fun visit, however, if you have a rich Aunt Suzie (which we don't) come and visit and she insists on taking you there, it will be fun, but as cute as it was, it wasn't quite worth the price. It was fun to experiment though.

Busy Days

2011-12-09T20:34:00.000-08:00

I haven't been the best about blogging lately but don't let that fool you, we have been busy. This past Wednesday was a super fun, busy day. We went to an Eric Ode concert at Max's preschool. He sings great songs and has a puppet. The kids sang and danced. It was quite the party.

From December 2011

Later that day we went to Snowflake Lane in Bellevue. It was fun to take pictures, dance to the drummers (or cover our ears, depending on who we were) and watch the snow (soap bubbles) fall. It really is kind of magical.

From December 2011

You can't see the "snow" that I was trying to capture.

From December 2011

Playing afterwards

From December 2011

And a quick visit to the mall

From December 2011

The 2011 Epperson Family Letter

2011-12-09T19:55:00.000-08:00

Now with a title like that...

Our 2011 year has been full of fun. Our most exciting news is that we are expecting baby #3 in June of 2012. This of course has led to some interesting conversations with a curious 4 year old. I'll spare you the details. Max says if it's a girl, he wants to name her Kelsey. If it's a boy, Fred. Ryan says the baby's name should be Venna. Hmmmm. We'll find out the gender mid-January!

In August, Tony left his job with Horizon Air to work for Boeing. This was a great move and he loves helping build/modify the P8-A which is a military plane. His hours are kind of intense with school and work and then working some weekends. We miss him a LOT but we're grateful he has these wonderful opportunities to be doing what he loves. Tony has started flying remote controlled airplanes as well as real airplanes this year. This is a hobby the boys completely support. Max even has his own plane.

Debbie still loves being a stay-at-home mom/property manager/appointment secretary/volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocate for a young girl in foster care. Whoever thinks stay-at-home moms have it easy is crazy, bytheway. Life is busy and fulfilling. Debbie helps teach joy school and keeps the boys involved in church, friend and community activities. She's also been working on the home little by little to fix it up and add flair. There is still so much she'd love to do.

Max turned 4 this year. He started preschool and still does joy school with his friends. He learned to ride a bike with no training wheels which he told anybody and everybody about afterwards. He loves to be a helper and he really is a good one. He loves to "read" and draw and he really loves spending time with his friends.

Ryan turned 2 this year and he is a shy little jokester. When his personality comes out, it really comes out. He talks quietly but he is always smiling and saying silly things to make you laugh. He also loves "reading" and playing with cars. He just loves being outdoors whenever he can. Both boys have loved having a pet. Grandpa J has lived with us while he worked temporarily in Seattle and he brought along Saydi dog. The boys love having her around and have mostly been really sweet to her.

We took did several camping trips and small trips this year. We do love to explore. Most of our crazy moments are recorded on this blog so feel free to follow our adventures here!

We appreciate all of our family and friends and look forward to celebrating the birth of our beloved Savior. He is everything to us! Joyeux Noel!

Love, Tony, Debbie, Max and Ryan

Our family pictures were taken by our cousin, Becky Jenson who we adore!

From December 2011

Church Christmas Party

2011-12-04T21:06:00.000-08:00

Tony had to work this weekend so he wasn't able to come. Grandpa and the boys and I went. I had responsibilities that kept me away from the party most of the time so Grandpa watched the BYU game on ESPN on his phone, lol. Here are a few pics of the set up.

From December 2011

Max ditched us to go sit with his friend.

From December 2011

Eating dinner was fast, but...the reason is because they had a great idea to have a kids area set up in a big classroom so that the kids had somewhere to go besides running around the tables. We had a video playing, a play doh table, some board game tables, a huge set of legos and a table where you could make a Christmas chain. So that was available until dinner was ready and then as soon as the kids were done with dinner (I shoveled my food down) it was open again. Then when everyone was done with dinner and it was time for the program, we took the kids back to their families. I loved it.
And here is part of the program. Sorry about the spooky eyes, I don't know how to edit that. My favorite part is the missionary playing an angel with his name tag on the outside. Totally awesome!

From December 2011

Here's Ryan watching the program. You would think by this picture that my kids were enthralled and listening wonderfully. Not so much, but I got a good picture of one second when they were listening. ; )

From December 2011

We had a great night. We have a great group of people at church and even though I mostly interacted with the kids in the kids' area, I had a great time!

The Rest of Our Oregon Adventures

2011-11-28T16:17:00.001-08:00

We went to get our Christmas tree from Tony's friend, Alex. He has a construction business as well and he let Max climb on and ride on some of his equipment!

From November 2011

Here we our by the tree we picked!

From November 2011

And more climbing!

From November 2011

The boys made a gingerbread house with cousins.

From November 2011

And Max and Ely made a "cousin bed" while they watched A Muppet Christmas Carol.

From November 2011

And we house/pug sat for our cousin. The boys loved the pugs.

From November 2011

Thanksgiving 2011!!!

2011-11-28T16:16:00.001-08:00

The day before Thanksgiving Max had a little feast at his preschool. He was so excited because daddy was able to come too! I love the diversity. There was turkey, tator tots, fried rice, cupcakes, carrots and hummus and lots more.

From November 2011

On Thanksgiving day, we huffed and puffed before we stuffed! Go Turkey Trotters!

From November 2011

Then we had an enjoyable meal with family in Oregon!
Thank you pinterest for this fun idea!

From November 2011

The guys making fancy napkins!

From November 2011

Cooking!

From November 2011

The kid table!

From November 2011

The grown up table!

From November 2011

Olive fingers of course!

From November 2011

Burning off those extra calories!

From November 2011

It was a wonderful day and we appreciate family and friends!

Fall with the Eppersons

2011-11-20T20:37:00.001-08:00

We like to go on walks and play in the leaves!

From November 2011

There are some pretty big leaves around here!

From November 2011

Ryan likes to put his socks on his hands during naps (and sometimes his pants come off at night)--Go figure!

From November 2011

We like daddy to help us walk on the wall and climb to high places (so we can be brave like Captain America)

From November 2011

And we like to talk about what we are thankful for because the Lord has blessed us in so many ways!

From November 2011

P.S. We're really thankful for Jesus. That wasn't a mistake to put His name twice! ; )

Max and the Primary Program--2011

2011-11-20T20:19:00.000-08:00

Every year the children of our church do a program at church in front of everyone. They get to teach us what they have been learning throughout the year. They sing the songs they have learned. I have always looked forward to it. And it was especially exciting to have my own small person to see. I was called to work in the primary shortly before the program so I didn't get to sit with the congregation and watch, but it was still fun to be WITH the kids.
So Max memorized his line and said it without any problem (even though he was at a microphone in front of a whole audience of people)! Go Max!
I did sit by Max to help reduce his wiggliness. I don't know if I helped or hindered but he did pretty good.
While practicing his part, "the scriptures teach me about Jesus", Max told me he wanted to have a longer part and proceeded to add to it, the things he thought he should say. I just laughed and told him maybe next year. He also told me he wanted to have a chance to sing all by himself like some of the (older) kids. Maybe another year, my little ham.
He was lucky enough to have both sets of grandparents come to watch him and his Aunt Stacey.
It was a blessing to see/hear the kids share their feelings about Jesus, the scriptures and the importance of doing what's right. Some of the older kids wrote their own parts, from their hearts and they did an amazing job as well.
Here are a few pics from the weekend. I'm sad, I've fallen off my constant photographing wagon.

From November 2011

We were even visited by our cute friend Colleen who took this picture for us!

From November 2011

Flying Planes

2011-11-05T22:09:00.001-07:00

We took the boys to a park today to fly model airplanes before Tony had to leave for work. I wish I had taken a pic of the boys in their rain boots (because they can put them on themselves) and Ryan with his snow hat. They looked adorable. Here is an after-the-fact pic of Tony and Max and their airplanes.

From November 2011

Happy guys!

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T19:53:00.000-07:00

Max's school had a Halloween carnival. It was a lot of fun!

From October 2011

Max's teacher sang to all of them and they told her what their costume was.

From October 2011

Max's class

From October 2011

Face Painting (Ryan got a spider and Max got an airplane)

From October 2011

Nom Nom

From October 2011

I manned the booth where the kids got to pull a lollipop out of a fake pumpkin. If their lollipop was a lucky lollipop and had black on the tip, they got two lollipops. Yep, they all had black on them. I love rigged preschool carnivals.
And tonight we went trick or treating for the first time because we missed the ward trunk or treat. I think we went to 8 houses in our neighborhood and that was more than plenty. Then we hurried home to hand out candy and share and that was just as exciting to the boys.
My boys are not exactly posers, but they're cute anyways!

From October 2011

Pumpkin Time!

2011-10-30T20:23:00.000-07:00

From October 2011

The boys told daddy how they wanted their jack o'lanterns to look and, voila!

From October 2011

Simple Pleasures

2011-10-30T20:21:00.000-07:00

This is Tony spending time with Max last night. He got to stay up a little because he had been such a good listener and helper all day. And of course they talked airplanes.

From October 2011

Sleepover!

2011-10-30T20:18:00.001-07:00

Aunt Stacey saved the day/night for me. Tony had to work. Grandpa was out of town and I was invited to a party that was the same night as our church party. No available baby-sitters! So, I took the kids to Stacey's where they were entertained by Stacey and her friend/roommate, Jen, and I got to party with some great friends. Then I crashed at Stacey's where the boys were already asleep and we left the next morning after watching a few cartoons. Here are the boys enjoying Saturday morning cartoons with Stacey.

From October 2011

They had so much fun!

Joy School--Nose and Ears

2011-10-30T20:15:00.001-07:00

We learned about two more senses: smell and hearing.

Here are the kids testing their sense of smell.

From October 2011

And here they are posing in some Halloween costumes.

From October 2011

And a Halloween costume parade with instruments. We got to HEAR their beautiful music!

From October 2011

Helping Out

2011-10-26T13:57:00.000-07:00

I volunteered in Max's classroom today and it was so fun! I already love his school and teacher but I got more of an inside peek as to how wonderful it is. I loved being able to put names to faces to all of his friends as well. I got to see some of the things he excels at (playing, participating, generally following directions) and some of the things that need improvement (could he please stop picking his nose for the love? Oh, and he said, "I'm so glad that ______ isn't here today" What? He said that so he wouldn't have to share the big wheel with him during free time, but we had to talk about that :S)

I'm also excited to help out with the Halloween carnival next week!

Randomocity

2011-10-16T18:45:00.000-07:00

My kids are fun. Max asks questions all the time. It's not always fun, but I try to be glad that he's so inquisitive and likes to learn. He's gone from always asking why to always asking how. It keeps a mom on her toes. Ryan has the funnest belly laugh. I love to tickle him all the time just to hear it. When I tickle him or make him laugh he says, "That silwy" or "That tittles (silly and tickles).

Right now they are exploring the artic. Well, they're flying on a prop plane to the arctic. Wait, hold that thought. They're now flying to the north pole and Max is telling Ryan that there are a lot of bad guys there so he needs his sword. I love how the goggles squish Max's face.

From October 2011

I am now the second counselor in the primary presidency which I love. I got to teach sharing time today and it was fun. I absolutely love being with kids and their different personalities.

I think this weekend we are just tired. This is a working weekend for Tony so he's tired from being gone so much. I'm tired because he's gone so much. I know I've said this before, but we're incredibly grateful for his job. I think we're just never going to take family time for granted.

Field Trip!!!

2011-10-12T15:10:00.000-07:00

Max's first field trip ever was to Remlinger farm in Carnation, WA. I've been wanting to go there since my friend, Jodi, suggested it, so I was glad that it was on the preschool calender. Ryan and I got to go as well. This is seriously the cutest place. I don't think pictures will even do it justice. There is so much to see!

From October 2011

The hay jump.

From October 2011

Ryan was a little more cautious.

From October 2011

The hay maze!

From October 2011

They learned about pioneer life and Max told his teacher (loudly of course), "I'm glad I'M not a pioneer."

From October 2011

We got to ride a little steam train.

From October 2011

Some Vietnamese pigs.

From October 2011

Learning about bees.

From October 2011

They got to see a little show with Eric Ode.

From October 2011

They got to feed animals.

From October 2011

And pick pumpkins!

From October 2011

And a lot of the kids were fascinated by this puddle at the end.

From October 2011

Joy School--The Five Senses

2011-10-11T14:08:00.000-07:00

We decided to do joy school again this year even with Max being in preschool because it's just fun to get together with friends. I'm teaching the first round so I picked the 5 senses. Today we did an overview and learned about sight.

We did a Mr. Potato Head Craft Actvitiy to go over all 5 senses. The boys were laughing so hard at their silly potato head.

We went over the calender. We talked about sight, how some people can't see and how some people need glasses to see. We also read, "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?" by Bill Martin and "The Rainbow Fish" by Marcus Pfister. Then we played Red Light, Green Light.
Here are the boys during one of the free play periods.

From October 2011

We also did a Ghost Handprint activity and watched the ghosts appear. I got this from Aunt Dorothy's blog. Thanks Dorothy!
We did a little letter tracing and some bead-stringing as well. It was a fun day and the boys played so well together!

From October 2011

Puddle Jumpers

2011-10-08T21:05:00.000-07:00

While others had snow, I was grateful for good old rain. My boys loved puddle jumping.

From October 2011

A Little Glimpse

2011-10-05T21:17:00.001-07:00

On Monday Ryan started gymnastics. He is an incredibly funny kid. Whenever we go on walks,he always wants to do the "balance bean" (curbs). So now he's in gymnastics and he gets to do all kinds of fun stuff. I love the expressions on his face, like, "mom, why are you taking my picture?"

From October 2011

This tickled me yesterday. I was getting ready for a crockpot cooking class I was teaching and I needed Max to entertain himself. He found some books that my parents gave me. The Childcraft Library is something I would look through as a little kid and I love the pictures from the fairy tales, different countries, etc. Well first Max brought me a picture of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir because he recognized it from Conference. Then he showed me something from the cartoon "Little Einsteins". It was the Mona Lisa but he had seen it on this little cartoon. So cute. Every minute he would exclaim, "OH WOW" or "COOL" when he saw something (Niagra Falls, Mt. Everest, etc.) I think this kid is going to take after me and my culture loving, travel loving self. My opinion is let's go see all of these cool things instead of reading about them! I've been pretty blessed with opportunities to travel and I hope my kids are too.

From October 2011

Today we had a playdate to plan joy school and we made ice cream in little baggies. The kids loved it. They wore gloves and everything. All you do is put 1 cup of chocolate soy milk and 1 Tbsp. of sugar in a sandwich baggie. Then you put ice and salt into a gallon size baggie. Put the chocolate soymilk baggie inside, cover with more ice and salt and shake and toss from hand to hand for 8-10 minutes (wearing gloves ; ) Easy peesy. I just recommend using freezer bags just in case the ice punctures the baggie and you end up with a bit of salty ice cream. ; )

From October 2011

Conference Weekend!

2011-10-02T21:31:00.000-07:00

Sometimes things can turn out quite differently for two people. Tony woke up with hives and had to miss a day of work but then he got to make up for it by working Saturday and Sunday for his mandatory overtime weekend. I'm really wishing the overtime didn't have to happen.

I had a really wonderful weekend. Stacey came to stay the weekend with us. She even said she'd watch the boys so I could go to a girl's night/sleepover. It was awesome but I got NO sleep. Well, I might have snoozed for 2 1/2 minutes two different times but other than that, no sleep. Totally worth it though! Then I was able to listen to the prophet and other church leaders via General Conference . I love being inspired! Also, Stacey helped me paint my family room! Wahoo! The walls badly needed paint and well, now they have it and Stacey was the one to stand on the ladder because I hate ladders. What a gal! Then we went to get free stuff at Deseret Book for ladies night. Then Grandma Kate came to visit for today. Stacey and I also cooked Latin American food that she got to try on her mission.

Here's Stacey stirring the sugar for the flan (the first one cracked one of my glass pans, the second one spilled out all over my oven) which did turn out yummy in the end.

From October 2011

Here's Max playing with a learning activity (intended for other purposes). The kids did pay attention to some of it but 8 hours is a lot for two small kiddos. My favorite was Saturday when Ryan stated loudly, "NO, I SAY IT" during the opening prayer.

From October 2011

Eating our cultural feast! Peruvian steaks, Pupusas, rice and flan. Yum!

From October 2011

Homework

2011-09-29T20:34:00.000-07:00

Max doesn't really have "homework" but his teacher has given us packets that we can work on at home. He loves doing them.

From September 2011

I love every new thing he learns on his own.

An Apple a Day

2011-09-17T23:33:00.000-07:00

Will it keep the doctor away if it's loaded with caramel?
It's that time of year...we had crockpot Taco Soup and caramel apples today. It seemed to fit with the first gloomy, rainy day we've had in while - probably the first of 100 ; )
The bite out of the front of Ryan's apple actually happened yesterday when we were at Safeway. I thought I'd better buy the apple after those cute chompers got into it. And then he gets to have it again.

From September 2011

Happy faces--soon to be sad faces when BYU lost dismally to U of U.

And so it begins...

2011-09-16T20:55:00.000-07:00

Max told me in the car (out of the blue) that he is going to marry "C". This is the bride-to-be.

From September 2011

She's pretty much the only friend who is a girl that he has, lol. I asked him what he needs to do before he gets married and he said, "be a grown up". Yep, and I added go on a mission and go to college. So this is another one of those reasons blogs are so great. It will be fun to tease him him about this later in life!

Painting Escapades!

2011-09-16T13:42:00.000-07:00

There is a website that I've fallen deeply in love with. Pinterest.com is a fun way to get ideas, share ideas and store ideas. I save ideas of fun things to do with the boys along with other things. So, we tried something from that site out the other day. Here we have shaving cream painting. So easy to make (shaving cream and food coloring in a muffin tin). I mixed colors so they had variety and it took me about 2 minutes. The clean up was easy too!

From September 2011

My boys also love finger paints and water colors. It's fun to see their imaginations at work.

From September 2011

B is for Backwards

2011-09-14T22:42:00.000-07:00

This week was letter "B" at Max's preschool. He took a bumble bee book for show and tell (show and tell corresponds with the letter of the week) and he dressed up for backwards day.

When I told him it was backwards day, he didn't want to dress that way. I tried to tell him it would be fun, funny, etc., but he didn't want to. So I tried another method. I had daddy come in with his clothes on backwards. That's all it took. And of course little brother wanted to join in the fun.

Check out those letter B glasses. And the new backpack that didn't come in time for the first day of school pictures. Does that not scream Epperson boy?

From September 2011

Kris Kross will make you jump, jump!

From September 2011

Me too, me too!

From September 2011

Bwahahahahaha!

Last Camping Trip of the Summer--Westport Beach

2011-09-12T20:47:00.000-07:00

We camped at Twin Harbors State Park in Westport and we loved it!
Even when the beach was a bit windy, we enjoyed the warm sand!

From September 2011

Ryan wasn't too keen on being buried!

From September 2011

It was beautiful. I love the beach! And it's even more enjoyable with great company!

From September 2011

Robin and Kara

From September 2011

Jennie

From September 2011

We even saw a mermaid!

From September 2011

The kids boogie boarded and then there was one lone adult who took the plunge (my husband, of course! Coo coo ca choo)

From September 2011

What beautiful beach bums

From September 2011

These small ones were hilarious playing together.

From September 2011

Heather and I took some of the kids out later to look for "treasures". We gathered fun rocks and lots of sand dollars.

From September 2011

The kids played really well together.

From September 2011

We went to the beach at night and it was gorgeous of course!

From September 2011

The moon over the dune grass.

From September 2011

We celebrated Caiden's birthday!

From September 2011

I really liked this camp ground. The sites were roomier than some and it was a short walk to the beach. I would definitely go back.

Do the Puyallup!

2011-09-11T22:56:00.000-07:00

When I first moved to Washington, I had no idea how to pronounce Puyallup, and now it's no biggie. It's a great town with a great fair every year. We went on opening day to see the Western Rodeo parade. Then we got into the fair free by donating food at the gate. I love free! Here the boys are waiting to see cows, horses and instruments!

From September 2011

Apparently, one or two years the cows got away from the cowboys. This year, there was no running of the bulls.

From September 2011

And my camera battery died, so here's a cell phone photo of one of the exhibits inside the fair.

From September 2011

We loved looking at all the handmade items and then the collections. Here somebody collected frog stuff. Ryan and this person would get along.

From September 2011

And Max REALLY wanted a cowboy hat. So cute! Sorry, son, not this time.

From September 2011

Max's First Day of School--2011

2011-09-06T14:47:00.000-07:00

From September 2011

Max is attending a 3 day a week preschool program. We were happy to get him into the morning program where he has a little friend already. His teacher seems wonderful, the school awesome and there are only 12 kids in his class.
Getting started.

From September 2011

The classroom

From September 2011

His friend!

From September 2011

They have fun field trips planned and he's excited to do show and tell this week because it's going to be about the letter A. Guess what he's going to pick?

I had a moment where my eyes started welling up with tears when I was taking pictures of him in his classroom but I didn't let them come. He was excited to be there. I'm excited for him. I did cry on the way home, but not because I'm worried about him. It's just one of the steps to my baby growing up and becoming more independent. Wahhhhhhhh! Okay, tears came but they were short-lived.

He returned and reported that he had fun, learned a lot, the kids were nice and his favorite things were the "worker toys" (tools, sockets and wrenches that work--go figure!)

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-06T14:37:00.000-07:00

Great Grandpa Bob fell at his assisted living facility and spent some time in the hospital. We wanted to drive down nad spend some time with him and Grandma so we loaded up the car and drove down with Grandpa J. We stopped by Roake's hot dogs on the way down and ate on the lawn at the Oregon City library. Grandma and Grandpa Epperson had been married at the church across the street.
The boys got to play in the creek of course.

From September 2011

Ryan wanted a picture. This is before he got bitten by mosquitoes.

From September 2011

Grandma and Grandpa.

From September 2011

The boys and I picked lots of blackberries and had blackberries and milk like I used to when I'd pick blackberries at my Grandparents' house.

From September 2011

They loved having purple tongues.

From September 2011

I should have taken more pictures of course I can never get enough, but it was fun talking with Grandma, learning more about when she worked for the welcome wagon and seeing Grandpa is always wonderful.

California Love

2011-08-31T08:30:00.000-07:00

We flew to California to spend time with family. David's youngest, sweet Ella had her adoption finalized and so they were being sealed as a forever family in the Oakland temple. We had a great time enjoying family and the friends that I was able see. We would have loved more time there, but again, I have totally turned into a Washingtonian when it comes to the heat. Man, it was hot!
Here is Ryan pushing Ella on a swing. I thought this was so sweet.

From August 1, 2011

The cousins played well together!

From August 1, 2011

We went to Fairytale Town again!

From August 1, 2011

I love how excited Caiden is to be near his favorite--trains!

From August 1, 2011

Finishing the crooked "mile"!

From August 1, 2011

Ella getting aways from the old lady who lived in the shoe!

From August 1, 2011

Ella and Ryan conquering the giant!

From August 1, 2011

Jack be Nimble....

From August 1, 2011

The kids played in the dirt a lot!

From August 1, 2011

Ryan even had dirt caked in his hair! Oy!

From August 1, 2011

My cousin Sharon's daughter, Shelbi watched my boys while I was with my family in the temple. She took the boys to the visitor's center. Here I am meeting up with them. The boys noticed Jesus' "owies" so there was a wonderful teaching moment.

From August 1, 2011

I can't wait to see Ashley's pictures. Here we are setting up for the pics so she and Austin aren't in them yet. We missed Tony, Kris and Drew. They were the only family missing. :(

From August 1, 2011

My boys giving loves in the temple roof gardens.

From August 1, 2011

The beautiful temple!

From August 1, 2011

Kids and a fountain!

From August 1, 2011

My boys saying good bye to Uncle Alan.

From August 1, 2011

I got to spend time with my favorite Dana!

From August 1, 2011

The kids helping Grandpa in the garden.

From August 1, 2011

Saying good bye to Uncle Darin!

From August 1, 2011

At the zoo!

From August 1, 2011

Not quite as big as the California Condor!

From August 1, 2011

A nice shady spot to play!

From August 1, 2011

With Margret and Alyssa! I so wish we lived closer! I was lucky to have them as friends in high school and now they are such amazing women!

From August 1, 2011

And a quick trip to Old Sac before we catch the plane!

From August 1, 2011

A kid in a candy store!

From August 1, 2011

Evangeline's was always a must-go in Old Sac! Here's wonder woman Casi!

From August 1, 2011

Cute!

From August 1, 2011

We had such a good time. I took even more pics but had to stop somewhere!

Pillow Fights and Music Videos

2011-08-23T20:36:00.001-07:00

I wonder if thy like pillow fights?

From August 1, 2011

And on another note, if you've been around my boys lately, you'll know that they have a new favorite.
Gotta love Caspar Babypants!

Lake Chelan Camping

2011-08-22T12:57:00.001-07:00

We had a great weekend camping at Lake Chelan. The drive was beautiful and we had fun enjoying the water and sun.

From August 1, 2011

Max is a little fish. He has a lot of confidence with his life jacket on and his legs are in constant motion, propelling him across the water.

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Great friends!

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Ryan playing as he does best.

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It was beautiful and fun watching parasailers and floater planes as well.

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A little trek into town and we found this sign, perfect for Ryan.

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There was a fine arts festival going on.

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The kids got to paint for free. The Chelan river which feeds into the lake is right behind us.

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Enjoying a cool treat!

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Back at the campsite

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Bubble time!

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And then more wter fun...

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Sandcastles!

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We had a fun adventure although we were missing some dear friends who are close to our hearts.
We were going to stop at Leavenworth on our way home but Hwy 2 was closed due to fires. We'll have that adventure another time!

Reflecting

2011-08-19T22:40:00.000-07:00

I took my boys to the Bellevue Botannical Gardens which are beautiful and free. My boys loved the waterfalls and running around.

From August 1, 2011

I've also been doing a lot of reflecting this week. I have a friend going through a difficult time right now. The little girl that I CASA for is going through another transition and my heart is breaking for her as well. I think we are so blessed as Heavenly Father's children and yet there are many trials and learning experiences that test our faith. I know that we are here solely by grace. Everything we have/are comes from Him. Even though it's hard to understand the "why" of situations, we can turn to our loving Father. Sometimes, I just want to be able to speed through trials to the blessings. I want my friend to see the blessings that will come after she is strengthened during this difficult time. I want to take away her hurt. It's times like these where I am ESPECIALLY grateful for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ because I know that there is a reason for all, even if I don't understand the reasons.
I am just thankful for these two blessings and try my hardest daily to be thankful for what I have been blessed with and remember the blessings through the trials.

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Don't I have such silly boys to make me smile all the time?

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Oh and don't worry, that's PERMANENT marker, not blood. ; )

Celebrating Happy Couples!

2011-08-15T21:17:00.000-07:00

After leaving Banks, we drove to Mulino to stay with Grandma Epperson. The boys loved playing in and near Milk Creek. The moon was so bright and beautiful that I wish there was a way to capture the beauty on camera.
Goodnight moon!

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Here we are celebrating Grandma and Grandpa Epperson's 63rd wedding anniversary!

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Okay, the boys think Grandpa is so funny wearing a bib like Ryan. I laugh everytime I see this pic.

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Seriously, still giggling.
Then we moved the celebration over to Grandpa's care home. Tony gave him a hat from Boeing with the P8 on it.

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Next fete was celebrating Becky's engagement to Ben.
Group shot #1

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Group shot #2

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Everywhere we were this weekend had the most beautiful views. Here is Uncle Ken manning the fire in front of the gorgeous view and the kids at play.

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The boys loved playing with the motorcycle helmet.

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What is this?

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Ahhhh, much better.

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Will, the collector of caterpillars

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Taking the kids on a hike through the tall, tall grass.

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Making grass angels.

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And...of course...playing with Will and Lucy's cool airplane swing.

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I didn't get any pictures of Becky and Ben together, but it was still fun celebrating with them and spending time with family.

Baby Chickens, Rooster Soup and a visit to a Dear, Dear Friend

2011-08-14T21:34:00.000-07:00

One of my dearest friends in high school, one of my bridesmaids, etc., moved to Oregon and we went to visit her and her cute kiddos. She lives on beautiful farmland with amazing views. They have sheep and chickens so the kids had such a fun time.
Here are Jenn and the kids picking berries. Ryan kept saying, "More black boobies (kind of a mash up of black and blueberries)"

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In front of the house.

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I really love daisies and I was just amazed by how beautiful it was so I took lots of pics.

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Lunch on the patio

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With this view

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The kids gathered eggs. There was an egg with a crack in it under the hen and Jenn realized it was moving! Later that evening (after we were gone, there were two baby chicks in the chicken coop!)

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Minutes after this picture was taken, the "bad rooster" started attacking Ryan. That rooster had started going after Julia before so that rooster is now "Rooster Soup" as Jenn informed me.

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Happy to be running through grass fields.

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Meeting Fluffy Magoo, one of their sheep.

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I wish the world could know Jenn and how amazing she is. I was telling her as I took this picture that 16 years ago, I never would have imagined her living on land with sheep and chickens. Our teenage selves were very different. It's amazing what a difference maturity, life lessons and especially a true knowledge of our Savior's love for us has made in our lives. She is an awesome mom and friend.
We picked more blackberries.

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And then it was time to go. We had such a fun time and can't wait for the next visit.

Walking the Dog

2011-08-11T21:01:00.000-07:00

Today was a get things done kind of day. We went grocery shopping and the boys played and Ryan napped. We of course had to take Saydi on her daily walk so took her to one of our favorite spots on the Cedar River Trail. The kids climbed, I picked blackberries and the kids loved the bridges.

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I tried to get the kids to look at me by telling them I had rainbows on my nose. Ummm, this is what happened.

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Ryan is growing up, *sniff*, *sniff*

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Finding One of My Happy Places

2011-08-10T21:09:00.000-07:00

First question of the day, "Don't I look so handsome?"

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Second question of the day. Where can you go when you need a lavender farm fix? I know, I know, not everybody will claim to need lavender farm fixes (but they should), however...since my sister-in-law and I traveled to Sequim, WA in 2003, I have been in love with lavender and lavender farms. A trip to Sequim was postponed so I found something slightly more local. Blue Willow Farm in Gig Harbor is about 15 acres and it's beautiful. One of the homes on the property was built in 1914 and has been turned into this picturesque little gift shop. We were greeted graciously by the owners, Bill and Tracy who took us on a tour. The website has the best pictures but here are a few of mine:
Here are the ropes of lavender bundles being dried in the barn. It takes 10-14 days to dry it.

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Bill showed the kids how to roll the dry bundles on a mesh screen to separate the flowers from their stems. The kids got to help.

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Then they got to help with the winnowing. You drop the lavender and blow so the lavender falls and the chaff blows away.

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Playing "checkers"

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Happy kids and happy me with all of the beautiful lavender.

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This was just one of the fields.

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My souveniers were a bundle of dried lavender, a lavender soda and lavender shortbread cookies for the kids. Delightful!
Afterwards we ventured to the tot lot, one of the favorites of our former stomping grounds.

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The kids were happy to play with friends and run around until they were exhausted.

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The P-8A

2011-08-09T23:10:00.000-07:00

Now that Tony is building airplanes, I thought I'd share a little bit more about the plane he's working on (or being trained to work on at this point).

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And here's the description of the plane- P-8A

Nature Day

2011-08-09T21:33:00.001-07:00

Today was devoted primarily to nature, but of course we had to throw in some aviation at the end of the day for good measure!
We started out hiking Squak Mountain in Issaquah. It's really beautiful and even the drive is nice with trees creating a canopy over the road. Ryan wasn't digging the backpack today so it was a really slow hike, but the kids had fun picking huckleberries and learning about moss and ferns, jumping off of rocks, sliding down hills and seeing slugs *shudder*.
Starting out the hike.

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Ryan says "peekaboo"

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Here they are "sliding" down the dirt hill or in Ryan's case, just falling.

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Snack time!

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Holding hands...awwwww (complete with a diry behind from sliding on the hill)

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Afterwards the boys napped and I got a LOT of yardwork done. It was nice and relaxing. Then Grandpa J watched the boys while I attended a Relief Society craft night. This is where the aviation comes in. Max was promised that if he had a really good day, Grandpa J would build a model airplane with him. It was on his mind all day! The boys had great Grandpa time, and Grandpa did survive (although he went to bed earlier than usual, hmmmm ; ) and I had some girl time. Win-win!

Kelsey Creek Farm

2011-08-08T21:44:00.001-07:00

We got to visit Kelsey Creek Farm today and it was a lot of fun.
Farmer Ryan drove his tractor

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He oversaw the milking of the cows. Max and Caramel did a very dramatic job.

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They told the sheep what to say, "Baa, Baa"

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The sheep did not respond. They were the strong and silent types.

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They trip trapped over the bridge like the billy goats gruff

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and communed with chickens.

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It was a very busy day for this farmer and his farm hands. Phew!

Camp Zarahemla

2011-08-07T19:57:00.001-07:00

We ventured out and camped near Mount Rainier in an LDS church campground. It was a great place for kids. We got to play with Tony's cousin, Beth and her family, Stacey and cousin Ben.
We passed this beautiful view of Mt. Rainier traveling south on 410.

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I think I caught Lincoln in a very pensive moment ; )

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Tony whipping up some breakfast burritos

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YUM

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Maddie on the canoe

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We paddled to this little island and got out ot explore.

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The lake was beautiful

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The kids were acting out a bit so we pulled a baby Moses maneuver and pushed them out ot sea...

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Okay, not really...Beth, Sam and I were in the other canoe

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We explored the island again

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It was gorgeous to be out on the water when it was just starting to turn dusk and the moon was out.

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They had a great play area

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Cute boy

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Great weekend, great times!

It's a Bird, It's a Plane....Yep, it's a Plane!

2011-08-04T23:04:00.001-07:00

We saw the Blue Angels zoom by today. My boys were so excited. Max had to make sure to bring his toy Blue Angel airplane. And they remembered to bring their ear protection. We had a spot right on Lake Washington on a gorgeous Seattle day. It was awesome!

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Saydi loved it to! ; )

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Lots of Pictures

2011-08-03T22:07:00.000-07:00

I brought my camera to the park play group we had today. I just wanted to capture cute moments like this:

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And then the kids were doing this and my friends said, "Debbie, where's your camera? This is a very Debbie Epperson photo moment". haha. True, I'm glad I had my camera in my pocket. How cute are they?

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And Alana joined in the fun.

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It was fun afterwards having the boys take Saydi for a walk or rather, Saydi took the boys for a walk. We let her lead the way.

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It's almost blackberry time!

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There was some hill rolling happening

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And Ryan LOVES giving Saydi a biscuit. At home, he'll run to get her one. He knows exactly where they're kept.

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After their bath, the boys watched some BYU football and then children's videos with Grandpa!

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All in a Day

2011-08-02T21:36:00.001-07:00

Today my boys were lucky enough to play a lot of the day with their good friends. I was lucky enough to have a good friend take my boys so I could 1) see the doctor for my annual exam, 2) run to the store quickly (quickly is never an adjective I can use when kids are involved) and 3) paint my bathroom. She even brought my kids home fed, tired and ready for a nap! So, I got to......paint some more! I'm never good at before pictures so here are midway pictures of the master bathroom.

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Notice there are no base boards. That will change. The walls were white and now they are "Seattle" grey. Gotta love the name.

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I also got to go to a canning class tonight and learn about canning all kinds of food. I love it when people share their talents so others can learn. I even got to take these home:

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This day also included a fun walk/bike ride with our favorite dog, Saydi. The boys are having such fun taking care of her. She also rode with us to the bank to drop off rent checks.
Tony enjoyed some guy time after school. He never has a lot of time to spend with friends so he spent a day with a work buddy paddle boarding off Raft Island where his friend lives. Here is what he looks like now.

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He calls it his "base". I call it skin cancer. ; ) We're enjoying Tony being home after school for this one week. Friday, he'll start at Boeing and he'll start working mandatory weekends until they're caught up on projects. We don't know when that will be. He'll have 2 weekends on and one weekend off. That's in addition to his normal 75 hour work week. You might start seeing insane ramblings of mine on this blog after he's been on that work/school schedule for awhile.